| Abstract: | When the D, L (but not the R, S) nomenclature is used, general laws are observed in the stereochemistry of lipoxygenase oxidation reactions and in the formation of epoxides from hydroperoxides of polysaturated hydroxy fatty acids. In both cases the formation of a C-O bond is coupled with the stereoselective elimination of a hydrogen atom, and the chiral and prochiral carbon atoms have identical configurations. The use of the D, L nomenclature in the polyenic hydroxy fatty acid series appears preferable to that of the R, S nomenclature. |
